I AM Poem

Poetry deals with the emotions, just as music. An autobiographical poem is personal—it reveals something about the person writing the poem. It does not have to rhyme. Below is a simple plan to write your own autobiographical poem. Just follow the steps and—before you know it—it’s done.

Write this on notebook paper or type into a word processor. This will be your first blog post later this week!

I AM Poem

FIRST STANZA

I am (two special characteristics you have)

I wonder (something you are actually curious about)

I hear (an imaginary sound)

I see (an imaginary sight)

I want (an actual desire)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

SECOND STANZA

I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)

I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)

I touch (an imaginary touch)

I worry (something that really bothers you)

I cry (something that makes you very sad)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

THIRD STANZA

I understand (something you know is true)

I say (something you believe in)

I dream (something you actually dream about)

I try (something you really make an effort about)

I hope (something you actually hope for)

I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

Portrait Poem Example #1

I AM

I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins.
I wonder what I, and the world, will be like in the year 2000.
I hear silence pulsing in the middle of the night.
I see a dolphin flying up to the sky.
I want the adventure of life before it passes me by.
I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins.

I pretend that I'm the ruler of the world.
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders.
I touch the sky, the stars, the moon, and all the planets as
representatives of mankind.
I worry about the devastation of a nuclear holocaust.
I cry for all the death and poverty in the world
I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins.

I understand the frustration of not being able to do something easily.
I say that we are all equal.
I dream of traveling to other points on the earth.
I try to reach out to poor and starving children.
I hope that mankind will be at peace and not die out.
I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins.

--SANDY MAAS


Portrait Poem Example #2

I Am...

I am flighty and unpredictable.
I wonder if I'll ever be whole.
I hear the ocean singing me to sleep.
I see magic sparkling in the air.
I want to read every book on the shelf.
I am flighty and unpredictable.

I pretend to dance before a crowd.
I feel the caress of the mountains.
I touch the miracles of God.
I worry that life will pass me by.
I cry when my daughter reaches for my hand.
I am flighty and unpredictable.

I understand that life is a gift.
I say seize the day.
I dream of living on the edge.
I try to teach love and openness.
I hope to leave footprints behind.
I am flighty and unpredictable.

--LIBBY HARMON

Much of the above information was edited from http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/portrait.html.